Post-Sale Management

A CSM got a support request: "Integration not syncing data properly." Could have been a 10-minute technical fix. Instead, it became a 45-minute adoption accelerator.

Here's what happened. First five minutes: diagnosed the issue (API rate limit exceeded), adjusted sync frequency, problem solved. Done, right? Not quite.

Minutes 6-15 turned interesting. Why were they hitting rate limits? Heavy API usage. But why? Customer was manually triggering syncs multiple times daily. "We need real-time data," they said.

That's when the CSM saw the real opportunity. Showed them the webhook feature—instant updates, zero manual syncing. Customer had no idea it existed. They spent the next 15 minutes walking through setup together.

Then came the bonus discovery. While configuring webhooks, the CSM noticed the customer was building manual reports. "This would save me 3 hours a week," the customer said when they saw the automated reporting feature. They scheduled a follow-up to set it up properly.

Final score:

Original issue fixed: 5 minutes
Adoption barrier removed: manual syncing eliminated
New use case discovered: automated reporting
Value perception increased dramatically
Future support tickets prevented
A high-usage customer became a power user

The lesson? Reactive support becomes proactive adoption when you dig past the surface problem. Every customer issue hides an opportunity to remove barriers, teach something new, and increase value realization.

Most CSMs solve the immediate problem and hang up. The best ones solve the problem, then ask "What else can I help you do better?"

Understanding Different Call Types

Not every support call looks the same. You'll encounter five main types, each with different goals and outcomes.

Troubleshooting and technical support calls fix immediate problems. Someone can't login, a feature isn't working, an integration failed. These usually take 15-30 minutes. Success means the customer is unblocked and the issue won't happen again.

Usage questions help customers accomplish specific tasks. "How do I create a custom report?" or "Can you walk me through setting up automation?" These run longer, typically 20-45 minutes, because you're not just showing them—you're teaching them to do it independently later.

Best practice consultations optimize how customers use your product. They'll ask things like "Are we using this correctly?" or "How do successful customers approach this?" You're spending 30-60 minutes improving their effectiveness and efficiency. The win is when they adopt better practices and see improved results.

Feature discovery calls introduce capabilities customers don't know about or aren't using. Maybe their usage data shows low feature adoption. Maybe you spotted them building manual workarounds. Maybe you just launched something new. These 20-30 minute conversations increase both breadth and depth of product usage. Success looks like the customer trying the feature and finding it valuable.

Proactive check-ins keep you ahead of problems. You schedule these monthly or quarterly, or trigger them when usage data shows decline, renewal is approaching, or a major milestone hits. Spend 30-45 minutes ensuring ongoing success while identifying risks and opportunities. The customer should feel supported, and you should have an accurate health picture.

Preparing for Calls That Matter

Great calls start before you dial. Spend 10-15 minutes on pre-call research and the actual conversation becomes dramatically more effective.

Start with account basics. Company size, industry, contract details (ARR, start date, renewal date), who makes decisions, who actually uses the product. Review previous calls and notes. This context prevents you from asking questions you should already know—which builds trust faster than anything else.

Check recent activity. Last login dates, recent support tickets, recent emails, last CSM touchpoint. You're looking for patterns. Are they engaged or drifting away? Happy or frustrated? Active or quiet?

Look at relationship history. What problems have you solved before? What victories have you celebrated together? Where have they struggled? Your notes and observations from past interactions tell you what to expect and how to approach this conversation.

Now pull usage data and get specific:

Active users trending up or down?
Login frequency: daily, weekly, sporadic?
Which features do they use? Which do they ignore?
Session duration: quick checks or deep work?
Workflow completion rates: finishing tasks or abandoning them?

Certain patterns signal opportunities. Declining usage means you need to understand why and re-engage. Narrow feature usage creates an opening to expand. Manual workarounds suggest they're missing features that could help. Heavy usage of only basic features? They're ready for advanced training.

Here's a real scenario. Customer calls about reporting issues. Usage data shows they run reports daily (heavy user), but manually export to Excel every time. They don't use the automated scheduling feature. Opportunity: solve the reporting issue AND introduce automation. Save them 30 minutes daily.

Watch for red flags in the data. Error rates spiking, failed workflows, integration disconnects, multiple inactive users, support ticket volume increasing. These need proactive attention.

Behavioral red flags matter too. Power user stopped logging in? Usage declining week-over-week? Features they used regularly now abandoned? Session duration decreasing? Something changed.

Relationship red flags are subtler. Stakeholder responsiveness dropped. They're skipping scheduled calls. Responses are short and terse. Negative sentiment in communications. Don't wait for them to bring up problems—plan to ask about these in the call.

Prepare relevant resources. Have documentation links ready for likely topics. Screenshots or videos for how-to questions. Templates or examples for their use case. Best practice guides. Case studies from similar customers.

Let's say a customer in healthcare is calling about workflow automation. Pull healthcare workflow templates. Find a case study from a similar hospital. Have compliance documentation ready. Prepare examples of HIPAA-compliant automations. You can share these in real-time during the call instead of the forgettable "I'll send that later."

Set objectives before you dial. Minimum goal: solve the immediate issue. Ideal goal: solve issue + remove adoption barrier + identify expansion opportunity.

Ask yourself four questions:

What does the customer want to accomplish?
What should I accomplish beyond their request?
What does success look like?
What follow-up actions might be needed?

Customer's goal might be "fix integration sync." Your goal: fix sync + show webhook feature + understand reporting needs. Success: integration working + customer knows about webhooks + scheduled follow-up for reporting deep-dive.

Running the Call

The first two minutes set the entire tone. Use this opening framework:

"Hi [Name], thanks for taking time to connect. I see you reached out about [issue]. Before we jump in, I want to make sure I understand what you're trying to accomplish and what success looks like for this call. Then I'll help you solve it and see if there's anything else I can help with while we're together."

Set the agenda by asking three questions:

"Tell me what's happening and what you're trying to do"
"What does success look like for you today?"
"How much time do you have?"

This shows you're prepared and focused. It sets expectations. It gives the customer control. And it helps you plan the conversation.

Now comes the most important part: listening. Actually listening, not just waiting to talk.

Let the customer finish. Don't interrupt with your solution before understanding the full problem. When they're done, paraphrase it back: "So if I understand correctly, you're trying to [X] but [Y] is happening instead?"

Ask clarifying questions:

"Can you walk me through exactly what you did?"
"When did this start happening?"
"Is this affecting everyone or specific users?"
"How is this impacting your workflow?"

Acknowledge their frustration. "I can see how that would be frustrating—you're trying to get [task] done and this is blocking you."

The common mistake? Jumping to a solution before fully understanding the problem. Result: you solve the wrong thing, miss the root cause, customer stays frustrated. Better approach: spend 5-10 minutes really understanding the problem before attempting a solution.

Diagnosing and Fixing Issues

Work systematically through problems. Start by clarifying the issue. What's the expected behavior? What's actually happening? When did it start? What changed recently?

Reproduce the problem. "Can you show me what you're seeing?" or "Let me try to reproduce this on my end." You need to see it yourself to understand the exact conditions and validate when it's fixed.

Isolate variables. Is it affecting all users or one? All data or specific records? All features or one workflow? Browser or device specific?

Process of elimination tells you where to look:

Everyone affected → system-wide issue
One user → user-specific (permissions, settings, browser)
Specific data → data quality or edge case
Intermittent → load-related or external dependency

Here's how this plays out. Reports failing for one user but not others. Test on different browser—still fails. Test with different user's login—works fine. Isolated: user-specific, not browser-related. Check user permissions—missing report access. Root cause found: permissions.

Test solutions one at a time. If you change multiple things simultaneously and the problem fixes, you won't know which change worked. Test immediately: "Let's test that now to see if it fixed it." Test thoroughly—the specific scenario that was broken, plus related scenarios to ensure you didn't break something else. Have the customer test to confirm they can do it too.

If your first solution doesn't work, don't panic. Try the next hypothesis. Keep isolating variables.

Validate the resolution properly:

Original problem no longer occurs
Customer can perform the task successfully
Customer understands what was fixed
Similar scenarios also work (not just the edge case)
Customer feels confident doing it independently

Ask the customer directly: "Does that resolve what you were trying to do? Is there anything else related to this we should test?"

Don't rush off the call. Stay on for 2-3 minutes after the fix to make sure no immediate issues pop up.

Turning Issues Into Learning Opportunities

After solving the problem, explain why it happened. "This occurred because [root cause]. Here's how to avoid it in the future." Teach prevention: "To prevent this, you can [preventive action]." Share best practices: "Most customers set this up [this way] to avoid this issue."

Take a real scenario. Customer couldn't find their exported file. You show them the exports folder. Don't stop there. Educate: "Files export to this folder by default. You can change the default location in settings if you prefer. Also, you can schedule reports to email automatically instead of manual export."

Result: issue solved + customer learned where exports go + discovered automated email option. That's three wins from one problem.

Expanding Beyond the Fix

Don't stop when the problem is solved. While you're working on the issue, ask:

"What else are you trying to accomplish?"
"What's your typical workflow around this?"
"What do you do after this step?"
"What takes the most time in your day?"

Listen for clues. Manual processes suggest opportunities for automation. Workarounds hint at better ways. Frustrations reveal pain points to solve. Integration mentions create connection opportunities.

You're helping a customer with reporting. They mention: "After I generate this report, I copy it into a spreadsheet and send it to my team every Monday."

Opportunity identified. They don't know about scheduled automated emails. They don't know reports can export to the exact format they need. Show automated scheduling. Save them 30 minutes weekly.

When you see inefficiency, speak up: "I noticed you're doing [X]. Can I show you a faster way?"

Acknowledge their current method works. Suggest an alternative. Explain the benefit (time saved, fewer errors, better results). Let them decide. "Here's an option. Want me to show you, or prefer to stick with your current approach?"

Customer is manually updating 30 records individually. Your suggestion: "That works, but you can also use bulk edit to update all 30 at once. Would save about 20 minutes. Want to see how?"

Use this framework for introducing features:

Context: "I see you're doing "
Connection: "We have a feature that helps with "
Value: "It would let you [benefit]"
Invitation: "Want me to show you real quick?"

Customer struggling with manual data entry? "I notice you're entering these records one by one. We have a bulk import feature that would let you upload all of them from a CSV file—probably save you an hour. Want to see how it works?"

Don't just dump a feature list on them. Introduce features that solve problems they're currently experiencing.

Share what other customers do. "Most customers in your industry use [approach]" or "The teams getting the best results do [this]" or "I worked with a company similar to yours—they set it up [this way] and saw great results."

Offer templates and examples. "Here's a template from another customer you can customize" or "Let me show you an example of how this typically gets structured."

This positions you as an advisor, not just tech support.

Wrapping Up and Following Through

Before ending the call, summarize what you accomplished. "Today we fixed [X], set up [Y], and you're going to try [Z]."

Document action items clearly:

CSM actions: "I'll send you documentation and schedule a follow-up"
Customer actions: "You're going to test this with your team"
Timeline: "Let's reconnect next week to see how it's going"

Schedule the next call before hanging up. Don't rely on "I'll reach out later"—it gets forgotten.

Send a follow-up email within 24 hours summarizing:

What you discussed
What you fixed or implemented
Resources you shared
Action items (theirs and yours)
Next steps

When and How to Escalate

Some issues need help beyond the CSM level. Escalate when you hit bugs or product defects, performance or reliability issues, integration failures (not configuration issues), data corruption or loss, security concerns, or urgent feature requests that block critical work.

Don't escalate user errors (training issues), configuration problems you can fix, or process questions (education issues). Judgment call: if you've spent 30+ minutes troubleshooting without progress, consider escalation.

Document thoroughly before escalating. Provide exact steps to reproduce, error messages with screenshots, environment details (browser, OS, etc.), data samples if relevant, troubleshooting steps you already took, and customer impact plus urgency.

Use proper channels. Support ticket system for bugs. Engineering Slack for urgent issues. Product team for feature requests. Your manager for account risks.

Provide context about customer importance (ARR, renewal date), business impact (how many people affected), and urgency (blocking work vs. nice-to-fix).

Be clear about what you need: diagnosis (what's wrong?), fix (when can it be resolved?), workaround (interim solution?), and communication (what can I tell the customer?).

While the issue is being investigated, manage customer expectations carefully. "I've escalated this to our engineering team. They'll investigate and I should have an update for you by [timeframe]." If resolution will take time: "This may take a few days to fully resolve. In the meantime, here's a workaround."

Don't over-promise. Avoid: "I'm sure this will be fixed by tomorrow." Better: "The team will investigate today. I'll update you as soon as I know more."

Provide status updates even when there's no resolution yet. "Just wanted to let you know this is still being investigated. Engineering is working on it." Or: "Update: We've identified the issue. Working on a fix now. Target: end of week."

Silence creates anxiety. Regular updates build trust.

You own the issue until it's resolved, even after escalation. You're the customer's point of contact. You track progress with engineering. You communicate updates to the customer. You validate the solution when available. You follow up to confirm resolution.

Don't ghost the customer with "I escalated it to engineering" then disappear. Stay engaged. Check in with engineering daily. Update the customer every 2-3 days minimum. Test the solution before deploying to the customer. Schedule a call to implement the fix together.

Documenting Everything That Matters

Document in your CRM immediately after the call. Use this simple template:

Date: 2025-06-23
Attendees: [Names]
Topic: [Brief description]

Issue: [What customer reported]
Root Cause: [Why it was happening]
Resolution: [What was done to fix]
Outcome: [Confirmed working, customer satisfied]

Keep it concise. Other CSMs should be able to read it in 30 seconds and understand full context.

Track commitments clearly:

CSM Actions:

Send documentation on bulk import (By: tomorrow)
Follow up on integration error with engineering (By: this week)
Schedule advanced training session (By: this week)

Customer Actions:

Test bulk import with sample data
Share results with team
Provide feedback on new workflow

This creates accountability. Nothing falls through cracks. Follow-up becomes easier.

Plan next steps across three timeframes:

Immediate (24 hours): Send follow-up email with summary and resources.

Short-term (1 week): Check in on customer action items. Verify solution still working.

Long-term (1 month): Scheduled check-in or QBR. Track impact of changes made.

Document in CRM: "Scheduled follow-up call for July 1 to review adoption of bulk import feature and discuss reporting automation."

If the issue was novel or common, create a knowledge base article. Title it "How to [solve problem]." Include problem description, step-by-step solution, screenshots or video, and related resources.

This enables self-service for future customers. It becomes an onboarding resource. It serves as CSM training material. It reduces support volume. And if the solution was similar but slightly different to an existing article, update that article with the edge case.

Log comprehensive call details in your CRM: summary of call, issues discussed and resolved, features introduced, customer sentiment, adoption barriers identified, opportunities discovered (expansion, advocacy), risks identified (usage concerns, competitor mentions), and your follow-up plan.

Consistent logging enables the next CSM to pick up context easily. Your manager can spot trends. Health scores stay accurate. Renewal preparation becomes informed. Executive reporting has actual data.

Common Problems You'll See Repeatedly

Login and access problems show up constantly. Forgotten passwords, locked accounts, SSO not working, insufficient permissions, users not provisioned. Quick fixes: password reset, unlock account, re-provision user, adjust permissions.

While fixing access, turn it into an adoption opportunity. Confirm they're in the right role or group. Check if they received onboarding. Ask if they know how to get started. Offer a quick orientation if they're a new user.

Feature confusion usually sounds like "I can't figure out how to do X" or "This doesn't work." Actually, they're using it incorrectly. Ask them to show you what they're trying. Identify where understanding breaks down. Show the correct approach. Explain why—so they understand, not just follow steps.

Prevention: create a how-to guide for this feature. Improve in-product guidance. Add to onboarding if it's commonly misunderstood.

Integration or data sync issues kill adoption faster than anything. If the product doesn't deliver value because data is wrong, people stop using it. Common problems: data not syncing, sync errors, duplicate records, missing data, outdated data.

Troubleshoot by checking integration connection status, reviewing error logs, checking mapping configuration, verifying permissions on both systems, and testing manual sync. Fix these fast.

Performance or reliability concerns drive customers away. Slow load times, timeouts, frequent errors, crashes, inconsistent behavior. Gather specifics (when, how often, which features). Check system status (outage?). Test on your end (can you reproduce?). Document and escalate to engineering if it's a product-side issue.

While it's being fixed, provide workarounds: alternative workflows, reduced load (smaller data sets, fewer filters), different browser or device. Escalate aggressively because performance issues are retention killers.

Workflow inefficiencies surface when customers say "This takes too long" or "There's too many steps." Watch them do the workflow. Identify inefficiencies—are they missing a faster approach? Check if it's a product limitation or user approach.

Show faster methods (keyboard shortcuts, bulk actions). Introduce automation features. Suggest process changes. Escalate to product if it's a legitimate UX issue.

Real scenario: Customer manually entering 50 records daily. Didn't know bulk import existed. Showed CSV import feature. Saved 90 minutes per day.

Missing capabilities or features happen when customers want something your product doesn't have. Four possible outcomes:

Feature exists but they don't know—show them. Feature doesn't exist but workaround does—teach workaround. Feature doesn't exist but it's on the roadmap—share timeline. Feature doesn't exist and isn't planned—explain why, offer alternative.

Always log it in your product feedback system. Understand the use case (why they need it). Share with your product team. Follow up with the customer when and if it gets built. Find an interim solution if possible.

If the missing capability blocks value realization, they may churn. Find workarounds or escalate urgency.

Measuring What Actually Matters

Track your resolution rate. What percentage of issues do you resolve on first call? Calculate it: issues resolved on call ÷ total calls × 100. Benchmark: 75-85% first-call resolution is strong.

Low resolution rate might mean issues are too complex, escalation is needed frequently, there's a CSM training gap, or product quality issues exist. Track the trend over time. Are you improving or declining?

Measure time to resolution. Average time from issue reported to fully resolved. Same-call resolution: 0 hours (resolved during call). Same-day resolution: under 8 hours. Multi-day resolution: track days until closed.

Long resolution times create customer frustration, lost productivity, and adoption risk. Minimize time to resolution.

Send a post-call survey. Ask customers (1-5 scale): "How satisfied were you with today's call?" "Did we resolve your issue?" "How likely are you to use [feature/product] after this call?"

Track average satisfaction score, trends over time, and correlation with resolution rate. Low scores? Investigate why and improve.

Most importantly, measure adoption impact. Did the call drive adoption? Track features introduced during the call, features adopted after the call (check usage data), and usage changes (before vs. after call).

Take this scenario: call about reporting issues. You introduced automated scheduling. 14 days later, check if the customer is using automated scheduling. Yes = adoption impact. No = follow up.

The best CSMs make sure every call increases adoption and value realization.

Track follow-up completion. What percentage of committed follow-ups do you complete on time? Track CSM commitments (send docs, schedule training, etc.), completion rate, and on-time rate.

Goal: 100% completion, 95%+ on-time. Incomplete follow-ups erode trust, signal disorganization, and hurt retention.

The Bottom Line

Customer success calls aren't just reactive support. They're adoption opportunities disguised as help requests.

Teams that treat calls as adoption accelerators achieve:

80%+ first-call resolution (efficient problem-solving)
40% higher feature adoption (education during calls)
30% fewer repeat issues (root cause fixes + prevention)
Higher customer satisfaction and retention

Teams that treat calls as purely reactive support experience:

Repeat tickets (surface fixes, not root cause)
Missed adoption opportunities
Frustrated customers
High support volume

The fundamentals:

Prepare using context and usage data
Listen deeply before solving
Fix root cause, not symptom
Educate and expand beyond immediate issue
Document thoroughly for team and customer
Follow up on commitments
Measure impact and improve

Turn every support request into an adoption win. Your retention depends on it.

Ready to level up your CS calls? Explore adoption fundamentals, adoption barriers identification, and tips best practices sharing.

Learn more:

Tara Minh

Operation Enthusiast